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Israeli aircraft in new raids on Lebanon

TYRE, Lebanon: Israeli warplanes launched two new raids into south Lebanon, bringing to six the number of air attacks against guerrilla targets on Friday, security sources said.

They said warplanes raided the village of Qlaileh south of the port of Tyre and shortly afterwards jets fired rockets into an area near the market town of Nabatiyeh in a different sector of south Lebanon.

Friday's air raids came hours after pro-Iranian Hizbollah (Party of God) guerrillas fired Katyusha rockets into northern Israel in retaliation for a wave of Israeli air assaults on Thursday in Lebanon that killed four people.

Earlier, the sources said helicopters fired rockets into the villages of Hinniyeh south of the port of Tyre and Yater to the east. Hizbollah is active in the two villages.

There was no immediate word on casualties.

It was still unknown whether anyone was hurt in two earlier raids. Israeli warplanes fired rockets on Hizbollah targets near the town of Nabatiyeh followed by a raid by a rocket-firing helicopter that targeted a van and truck near Tyre.-Reuter